The Power of Two
by klcthenerd
Summary: Katherine is back with a plan to kill Klaus; a plan that involves her working with the new vampire Elena. However, the Salvatore brothers aren't too happy about the risk the girls are willing to take. Damon/Elena. Sequel to Shared Reparation.
1. Chapter 1

FINALLY! The sequel to _Shared Reparation!_

I feel terrible, you guys. Life got in the way, and by life, I mean school. Not to mention, I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with this storyline, and when I figure it out, I got busy. Plus, this is like the exact opposite of how I felt about _Shared Reparation_. With that one, I knew exactly how I wanted to start it, but not sure where to go/how to end it. With this one, I have so many plans for the later chapters, but starting it was so hard. I'm sorry if the first chapter's crap. I'm not a big fan of it, but it WILL get better, I promise- I hope you stick around...it's going to be an interesting ride. Also, I apologize for the title as well. I'm shit with titles.

I'd like to say that I am deviating from canon, and I WILL NOT follow the twist we learned in 3x18. I'll stop babbling and let you start _The Power of Two_. Seriously, I'm sorry for this chapter. Everything from here on out should be good.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

"Are you sure we can really trust her, Damon?"

"I don't know, Elena. We'll put off an interaction with Klaus as long as we can, but Katherine's right; we have to start thinking of how to kill him _now_, before he kills you." The raven-haired Salvatore said from across his room, looking out of his window and into the woods. Elena sat on his bed, studying him.

Ever since Katherine had showed up in the woods that afternoon, Elena and Damon hadn't had time to enjoy their newly-established relationship. She had shown up, demanding to speak to the Salvatores and Elena.

_Katherine sauntered in the door ahead of Damon and Elena, only to be thrown against the wall by the younger Salvatore. _

"_What are you doing here?" Stefan demanded._

"_Relax, Stefan. She apparently has some information on how to kill Klaus," Damon said as he walked through the door, Elena behind him. Stefan cautiously let the older vampire go, looking at her suspiciously._

"_And how do we know what she has to say is useful? Or better yet, believable?"_

"_Because, with my plan everybody wins. Except Klaus. I can stop running, Elena won't have to run like I did, and you two get to fight over her without having to worry that someone will kill her," the original doppelgänger explained, making her way to lounge in a chair. _

"_What's the catch?" Damon snipped, not wanting to get his hopes up._

"_I've been running from Klaus since 1492, Damon. I just want him dead."_

"_Then why don't you kill him? Why do you need us?" Stefan asked._

_Katherine's brown eyes peered at the brothers, the corner of her mouth hitching up in a smirk._

"_Who says I need you? This solely involves me, Klaus, and Elena," she announced._

"_Absolutely not," Damon told her. _

"_Plus, whatever your plan is, it wouldn't work. Elena's not human anymore. She's been turned," Stefan explained._

_Elena couldn't help but flinch at the "not human" comment Stefan made. Damon noticed this and gently took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze._

"_That makes it even better," Katherine replied cryptically. She stood up and walked around the living room, surveying all the pictures and books on the shelves._

"_During my absence in Mystic Falls, I actually took a little vacation. I tracked down a witch in Ireland, another descendant of the witch Ayanna. They had some great historical records. I was able to find all kinds of things, with the witch breathing down the back of my neck, of course. Wouldn't let me out of her sight, that one. She actually had me spelled the whole time, to make sure I wouldn't try to kill her. I was a little insulted."_

"_Get to the point," Damon interrupted._

_Katherine shot him a look before continuing._

"_Anyway, I found a book all about Klaus' curse. There are a couple of ways to break it, as you well know, but I noticed one that was new to me. Klaus can be killed if he's staked by multiple doppelgängers. At least two are needed: one to kill his vampire half, and one to kill his werewolf half. It was considered such an improbability that more than one doppelgänger would exist at the same time; no one considered it an option." Her eyes focused on her identical. "And that's where Elena comes in."_

"She might be telling the truth, Damon," Elena relented, walking over to where he stood. "I mean, I don't want to trust her, but maybe we have to. She's helped us before."

"Yeah, when she has something to gain from it," Damon scoffed.

"If Klaus is dead, she has her freedom," the brunette reasoned, placing a consoling hand on Damon's shoulder. "I mean, we have to do something fast, or else I'll end up like Katherine- on the run forever."

"Yes, but I was hoping we wouldn't have to deal with this immediately. You're not ready for this Elena. You _just_ turned. I'm not okay with putting your fate in Katherine's hands. I'm not going to let you risk that. I'm not going to risk that. Between her and Klaus-"

"Damon, let's get something straight. I love you, and I know you care about me, but I can make my own decisions. Ultimately, it's my choice," she told him. His blue eyes showed a bit of hurt. She took his face gently in her hands. "I want to talk it out with you. I want us to be able to come to an agreement, to make a decision together, okay? You can't treat me like a kid."

The raven-haired vampire stared into her brown eyes. "I spent 150 years alone. I just got you- I don't want to lose you."

"You won't," the new vampire said softly, her eyes determined. She rose onto her toes before kissing him lightly on the mouth, as if to reassure him.

Before she could pull away, Damon pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. He was still trying to grasp the reality of the situation: that Elena was his, that she finally told him how she felt. He knew the coming weeks weren't going to be easy, and he wanted to treasure the little moments before he lost control of everything.

He felt her arms snake around his neck, gripping the back of his neck to keep him from pulling away. His left arm encircled her body as his right hand found its way to her hair. His tongue slid along her lips, asking for entrance. Her mouth curved upward in a smile before gaining him access.

Elena's stomach was fluttering, and she was happy to know that she could experience butterflies as a vampire, she always loved it as a human. Every now and then she would break away and smile up at Damon before he reclaimed her lips with his.

Elena's arms encircled his waist once the kiss ended, the side of her head pressed into his chest. His arms protectively held her against his body, his chin on her head.

"What are we going to do, Damon?" Elena whispered, staring blankly at the wall, her mind a flurry of decisions.

The older Salvatore brother sighed as he stared across the room at the mirror, watching them in the reflection. He saw them, clinging to one another in hope. He saw a picture part of him thought he'd never see. He could feel her grip on him, as if she was afraid he'd let go and something would happen. He wasn't going to lose her.

"We have to trust Katherine," he relented. "But as soon as she starts acting suspicious, or it looks like it won't work, you're not going through with it."

Elena pulled back to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean…we'll reevaluate the situation?"

She smiled and pressed her head against his chest once more, heaving a sigh.

"I'm scared, Damon."

"Me too, Elena."

* * *

><p>I know, I know. Eh. But at least I gave you some Delena! Which was also kind of eh. I didn't want to get them too into it- they just got together, it should still be kind of tame, I think. I'll make sure to put more Delena scenes in. And I PROMISE future chapters will be better. Let me prove it to you! Story alert this and at least stick around for one more chapter! Also, PLEASE review and tell me what you're looking forward to MOST in this story :)<p>

And also- for those who celebrate Easter (or just like Easter Candy): Cadbury Eggs or Chocolate Bunnies? Hit review and let me know (and maybe say something about the story!)

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Remember- I respond to all reviews if I can!


	2. Chapter 2

Shoutout to tukct81 for being my first reviewer! Hopefully the review function is fixed...I got really discouraged last chapter because no one was reviewing, then someone brought to light that the review function was broken. I hope that's true, because I know my readers are awesome!

Thanks for sticking around to chapter 2. Things start to pick up here. I don't know how many chapters there will be, it depends on how in-depth I go into the training. Thanks so much for reading, and please review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Katherine was in the living room, looking at the books on the shelves when Damon and Elena made their way back from Damon's room.

"Back already? I was hoping you'd take longer, it's not like time is important or anything," Katherine quipped. "Now that you got your daily quickie out of the way, let's try to actually focus."

Elena could feel the heat rising to her face from mortification.

"We didn't…I mean…There was no…"

"Where's Stefan?" Damon interjected, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Don't be so modest, Elena," Katherine smirked as she ignored Damon, reveling in her doppelgänger's embarrassment. "I move fast, you move fast, it's nothing to be ashamed about. You're a doppelganger after all; exactly like me in every way."

Elena's heart sank at her words, her eyes losing some of their sparkle as Katherine spoke. She knew it wasn't true. She wasn't anything like Katherine, but she couldn't help but wonder if she was just trying to fool herself.

Damon felt the shift in Elena more than he saw it. He smirked at Katherine.

"Katherine, Katherine, Katherine. Don't flatter yourself. Everyone in this room knows she is _nothing_ like you. Besides, we actually like her, where on the other hand, you're just some bitch who ripped out our hearts and turned us into vampires."

"Ah…right. Nothing like me," Katherine said, striding across the room to the two lovers, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. She stopped in front of Elena and tilted her head to the side. "And…Damon's your _second_ Salvatore, am I right?"

Before the young vampire could speak, there was a blur and Damon had Katherine pinned to the wall by her neck.

"What's the matter Damon? Tired of being second choice?" Katherine asked before throwing him onto the floor, Elena rushing to kneel beside him. "You better watch your temper, Damon," Katherine warned from her place above the two younger vampires. "And how you speak to me. After all, you have to entrust your precious Elena to me for this plan to work."

"Like hell I am," the raven-haired vampire spat. He felt a squeeze on his arm and looked over at a shaken-up Elena. Her brown eyes bore into his, reminding him of their earlier conversation. He shook his head at her. "I'm not, Elena. I'm not letting you anywhere _near_ her while I'm not around."

"It's ok. She needs me for this. She won't hurt me," Elena tried to reason.

"Damon's right," a deep voice came from the entryway. All three turned to see Stefan walking in, an ice chest in his arms, no doubt filled with blood bags.

Katherine let out a frustrated sigh.

"_Fine._ Since no one seems okay with trusting me, let's gather 'round the living room and waste more time by _talking _about it."

The four vampires were seated in the living room for nearly an hour and a half before they finally came to an agreement.

"Alright," Stefan began for the third time, hoping it was an agreement everyone could be satisfied with. "Katherine and Elena will go to the woods to train and strategize for five hours a day, every day. Damon or I will come to check on you two periodically," he continued. Damon was leaning back on the couch, his arms crossed. He didn't agree in the slightest with Stefan's decision to leave Elena alone with Katherine, but he had been outnumbered. "Damon and I will run through a couple of back up scenarios here, in case something goes wrong with your plan," Stefan recounted looking between the two doppelgängers. "And the most important part: we'll try and keep this a secret from Klaus as long as we can."

"Okay," Elena agreed, grabbing Damon's hand, trying to reassure him that this was going to work. "When do we start?"

"Now," Katherine instructed, grabbing her hand and pulling her away from Damon and out the door to the surrounding woods.

Damon stood in indignation, preparing to run off after the girls, before his brother blocked his path.

"Let her go, Damon," Stefan told him, his body tense, prepared to fight him if he insisted on chasing the doppelgängers.

"You really think she's going to be ok with Katherine?" Damon asked his brother with disdain.

"Yes. Katherine wants nothing more than to kill Klaus, and if she doesn't have Elena, she won't be able to. She's safe."

"How do we know she won't go running to Klaus?"

"We don't. But we're checking up on them, so at the earliest sign of trouble, we can take Elena and run," he looked at his brother, who still didn't seem completely convinced. He sighed. "I love her too, Damon. Between the two of us, nothing will happen to her. I promise."

Damon softened as his brother's confession.

"Yeah, well. If something _does_ happen to her, you're dead," the elder Salvatore said in a slightly humorous tone, though both of them knew there was some truth to the words.

"This looks like a good place," the original doppelgänger proclaimed as she and Elena emerged into a clearing. She turned to face her younger companion. "This is where we'll lure Klaus. We'll spend the next couple of weeks memorize this place and ever scenario that might occur. We'll have a home field advantage."

"Why couldn't Damon and Stefan come?" Elena blurted. It had been bothering her since the negotiations, but she didn't want to bring it up in front of Damon.

Katherine's look of determination quickly fell, only to be replaced with a look of contempt.

"For starters, I don't need Damon stepping in to protect his precious little Elena every time I throw you into a tree, which, for your information, will probably be a lot," she began, walking towards the young vampire. "Secondly, we'll be doing the same moves we'll be doing when we actually have Klaus in front of us. For the plan to work, we're going to have to look exactly alike. Same clothes, hair, everything. The day of the fight, if something goes wrong, I don't need the Salvatores ruining it. If they know who's supposed to do what, then they know the difference between us, and if they know the difference between us, and you get hurt, everything goes to shit, because you better believe one of them will come to your rescue. And lastly, I need your full, undivided attention for this to work. That's why Damon and Stefan couldn't come."

"Understandable," Elena managed nervously, nodding. Katherine's lips curved upwards into a malicious smile.

"This is the fun part. I can impersonate you down to a T, sweetie. Now it's your turn. Pick up my habits and pick them up fast, because every time you're weak, I get to do this," she said, before picking up her look-alike and throwing her into a tree.

* * *

><p>There you go! Chapter 2! I hope y'all are enjoying it! Please PLEASE review- it really is my motivation. Even if it's just to say "Great job" or "Keep it up". Really, I appreciate it so much.<br>And here's the review question for this chapter: What's your preference? Nickelodeon or Disney? While you're there, lemme know how the chapter was!


	3. Chapter 3

A-ha! Chapter 3! Thanks for all the reviews! Remember- I reply to each one of them if they're not anonymous...I love hearing what you guys have to say! Anyway... this is the first chapter of the sequel that I feel 100% happy with! I actually really enjoy this chapter, and I hope you all will too!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Elena flopped onto Damon's bed, closing her eyes in exhaustion. The raven-haired Salvatore was next to her on the bed in an instant.

"Are you okay? Did Katherine hurt you?"

Elena's brown eyes opened before narrowing them at Damon.

"It's _Katherine_, what do you think?" she asked him, as if the answer was obvious. A shadow fell over Damon's face as he stood up and walked around the room.

"That's it; she's done. She's out of here. We can kill Klaus on our own," he let out an angry sigh. "I'm so sorry, Elena. I knew this was a bad idea. Anytime Katherine's involved it's a bad idea."

"It's fine Damon," she said before hesitating. "Besides… she's helping me. She's got a point…I'm weak. Throwing me into trees repeatedly isn't the best method, but she's making me stronger, both inside and outside." Damon raised an eyebrow. What Elena was saying made sense, but the fact that it was about Katherine was throwing off the normalcy of the statement. Elena could see him struggling with himself and patted the bed next to her. "No need to run her off yet," she joked. "You're all mine right now."

Damon smiled devilishly as Elena's mouth curled into a small smile. He laid on the bed next to her, their eyes boring into each other's, just enjoying the simplicity of it all. Elena's eyes flickered down to his lips nervously, which Damon noticed. He grabbed her hand lightly, tracing small circles with his thumb.

"Damon?"

Both of their heads snapped towards the doorway to find a dumbfounded doppelgänger.

Damon looked between the two a few times before the girl next to him broke out in a smirk, causing him to blur across the room.

"Goddammit, Katherine!" he exclaimed. He tried to push away the feeling of revulsion for the original doppelgänger, and the thought of what could have transpired had the real Elena not shown up in the doorway at the right time.

Elena was glaring at her mirror image, who was taking her time getting up from the bed.

"I just had to make sure I wasn't rusty," Katherine claimed as she stood. She looked at the girl in the doorway, unfazed by the angry looks. "See, Elena? I even fooled your boyfriend. You have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time; get practicing," she said before pushing the girl aside on her way out of the room.

"Elena, I am so sorry-"

"It's fine, Damon," Elena cut him off tersely. She sprawled onto the bed, heaving out a sigh. She was so frustrated by her devilish look-alike. It wasn't enough that she had spent the whole day throwing Elena into various trees, but she came back and pretended to be the younger girl? Something inside Elena knew that if she hadn't shown up, Katherine would have continued the ruse, and it made her squeamish to think about it.

Damon studied the weary girl on the bed. Her hair was messy, some leaves embedding themselves into the fine chestnut strands. She was very pale and obviously exhausted. He blurred downstairs and returned with a blood bag for her, to regain her strength and practice control.

As he reappeared by her side, her eyes opened and she felt her gums tingle before the skin on her face tightened, revealing bluish veins around her eyes. She reached for the bag at a remarkable speed, her fangs revealing themselves. Damon snatched the bag out of her reach and grabbed her arm. Her face returned to normal as she stared questioningly at the man next to her.

"We're starting control early. The earlier you learn to control yourself around blood, the easier things will be for you. You know we're going to need your dear friend Bonnie for the confrontation with Klaus, and we can't have your bloodlust mess things up," he told her with forcefulness, making it clear there was no discussion about it. "We have too much to lose," he added softly, so that Elena didn't know if he meant the two of them or what had basically became the anti-Klaus coalition.

The brunette took a deep breath through her nose before nodding in understanding, the metallic scent of the blood making her mouth salivate and her eyes darken with desire. Damon held the bag before him again, testing her once more. Her fangs broke through again as the lunged for the bag in his hands, only to end up sprawled out across the bed, as Damon was against the wall, holding the bag above his head, a small smirk on his face.

"This is kind of fun," he said smugly.

The combination of Elena's bloodlust and exhaustion had taken over. She blurred to where the Salvatore was, her fangs bared in defiance.

"Give me the blood, Damon," she demanded.

"Really? What happened to your manners, Miss Gilbert?"

"I'm not in the mood for this, Damon. Give me the blood."

Damon blurred across the room to the other wall.

"I'm not asking for miracles, Elena. Just show a little restraint and it's yours."

The girl was frustrated. She was tired, hungry, and feeling weaker every minute. She couldn't show restraint; she wanted to, but she couldn't. She would have to catch him off guard, and she wasn't sure she could. She blurred across the room to stand in front of him, looking up at him, focusing on making her eyes as big as possible.

"Please, Damon? All I want to do is rest, and I can't do that while the only thing on my mind is blood. I'm so hungry."

Damon cracked a smile.

"You're really trying to guilt me into giving you this blood bag? Elena, Elena, do you not know me at all?"

Elena quickly shifted gears. She stood on her toes and pressed her lips against the other vampire's. He kissed her back, but only briefly.

"I can still see the veins around your eyes. Control or no blood," he insisted.

Elena walked to the other side of the room, where she began pacing back and forth. She was trying to stop thinking about the blood, but she couldn't. It's all she could smell, all she could taste, all she could think about. She had to get her mind off of it and throw herself in to something else that took a lot of thought.

_What would Katherine do?_

Elena stopped in her tracks. Damon was being difficult, and as much as she loathed the other doppelgänger, and as much as she hated to admit it, Katherine was probably the only person who could trick Damon into doing something without him realizing it.

She began thinking of Katherine; her movements, her mannerisms, how she oozed a certain confidence, a certain sex-appeal. She felt her face relax and her fangs retract as she visualized herself as the other vampire.

Damon was watching her from across the room. He saw her stop and seemingly struggle with herself, unsure of what was happening. He saw the veins retract and he felt a tiny bit of pride in the young vampire and her fast control; it normally took vampires a few days to begin control, and here she was, only a day after transitioning, and she was able to fight it. He smiled at her and opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it as she turned to look at him.

The girl before him wasn't the doe-eyed innocent girl he had grown to know. On the contrary, her brown eyes were staring at him like she wanted something- him. Her face was rid of the veins, but there was still detectible lust in her eyes, only this time it wasn't for blood. Her mouth was fixed into a smirk as she began to saunter across the room.

"Now Damon," she purred, which cause two simultaneous reactions in the Salvatore, "I would really like it if I got that blood bag right now." She continued her way to Damon, who was transfixed by what was happening before him. Her eyes were boring into his with such intensity it made him slightly uneasy as he thought about the last time he had seen those brown eyes look at him in the same fashion. She stopped in front of him. "I could really make it worth your while," Elena promised, her face completely serious until her lips curved into a coy smile. "If….you know what I mean," she affirmed the thoughts she knew were going through Damon's head.

She brought her mouth to the spot under Damon's ear, gently teasing it with her warm breath. She planted a kiss there and started tracing small patterns with the tip of her tongue before gently taking his earlobe between her lips and toying with it, causing a hitch in his breathing.

She stopped the instant she realized her proximity to the blood. She pulled back and looked Damon in the eyes, surprised that her plan worked, before snatching the bag out of his hand and blurring across the room.

Before Damon knew what was happening, Elena had ripped open the bag and was hungrily draining its contents.

He stormed across the room when she was nearing the bottom of the bag.

"_Never_ do that again," he demanded angrily. "I fell in love with _you_, Elena, _not _her," he told her, too livid to say Katherine's name. "If you want to be seductive, go ahead, be seductive, I wouldn't mind that in the slightest bit, but _never_ turn into her again."

Elena felt a shiver of fear go up her spine as she looked up into fiery icy blue eyes. He was practically radiating anger, and she could see the hurt in his eyes. She felt terrible as she realized what she had done. She knew how badly Katherine had hurt him and she had made him relive something that still brought him pain, all without a second thought. All for a silly bag of blood.

"I'm so sorry, Damon," Elena gushed, shaking her head as if to accentuate that she didn't intend any harm. "It was just…the blood…and Katherine told me I have to learn to mimic her- I have to practice- I never meant-"

"I understand, Elena. It's for the fight. But how did you think it would be okay to practice on me?" Damon asked before exiting the room, leaving Elena curled on the floor with blood smeared on her face, wondering what she had just done.

* * *

><p>PLEASE review and tell me what you think...I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and now we got some duh-rama! Ooh, and let me know what y'all thought about the newest episode (3x19Heart of Darkness)! I loved it...SO MUCH FREAKING DELENA!


	4. Chapter 4

I'm so sorry guys! I would have had this up last night, but I'm back home for the weekend instead of at college, and for some reason, I don't get internet up in my room. I was only able to get it long enough to read "Love, Mistakes, and Cowardice" by tukct81. Everyone should check it out- it's phenomenal.

WOW! Thanks so much for all of your reviews for the last chapter! It's the most response I've gotten for this story, and it was so encouraging. I was planning on explaining the Damon and Elena scene in this chapter, but it didn't work out that way. There's not really any Delena in this chapter- I'm sorry!- but I hope you still like it and REVIEW!

And don't even talk to me about Thursday's episode….I was hardcore ugly crying.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Elena had awoken the next morning feeling slightly out of place. She had spent the night in the boarding house, but in one of the extra rooms that she had literally never been in before. She and Damon were still on the outs; she had not gotten the time to apologize the night before, nor did she know where to start or how to begin.

Not bothering with her hair, she threw on a shirt and some shorts before heading downstairs for breakfast. She could smell the aroma of pancakes in the air and her stomach growled. The thought of hunger caused her gums to start itching, and she groaned as she realized she was apparently hungry in two ways.

She walked into the kitchen to find Damon, shirt unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up, flipping the pancakes onto a plate. He didn't look up as she entered.

"Smells good!" she overenthusiastically complimented him, hoping he had forgiven her overnight, though a part of her knew it wouldn't be that easy.

The Salvatore replied with a curt nod.

Elena sighed and walked over to the refrigerator, opening it to find a pretty ample supply of blood bags. Her eyes scanned the labels, and she felt very confused. There were so many types, she had no idea which one to pick- someone had always handed her one, and she felt lost.

"Your favorite seems to be AB Positive."

Her head snapped to look at Damon, who had been the one to speak up. Though he had offered his help, she could tell by his demeanor that he was still upset with her.

"Thanks," the doppelganger said before reaching in and grabbing a bag of her preferred type. She felt her face tighten and her fangs break through and she couldn't help but to look at Damon. He was studying her.

"Oh, don't stop on my account," he announced. He held up the pan before him. "I'm just the pancake guy."

Elena felt a surge of sadness overtake her as she thought of the previous day. All Damon had done was try to help her, and she had done one of the worst things possible.

"Damon…" she said softly, her face returning to its normal appearance.

"Well, well, well, looky here," Katherine said, strolling into the room. Her hair was perfectly curled as always, and she was dressed in tight pants, boots, and a low-cut, form-fitting shirt. "I couldn't help but overhear your little conversation. Problems in paradise already? That's _never _a good sign for a relationship. I hope it wasn't anything _I_ did." She whisked past Elena and took the top two pancakes from the pile, putting them on a plate before sitting at the table.

"Of course not Katherine," Damon sarcastically replied through tight lips. "When do you _ever_ cause trouble?"

He threw the spatula down before leaving the kitchen. Seconds later, the two doppelgangers could hear the front door slam shut.

Elena's eyes wandered to the stove, where she saw a pancake start to burn. After turning the burner off, she remembered the forgotten bag of blood in her hand, and could feel the desire in her gums return. Her appetite subsided greatly when she heard her own voice speak from the table.

"Come, come Elena. Tell Auntie Katherine what's wrong."

Damon had just slammed the door on his way out when he ran into his brother.

"Where're you going?" the younger Salvatore asked, eying his brother suspiciously.

"Out."

"How long are you going to be gone? We need to come up with another plan for-"

"Have fun with that," the raven-haired brother interrupted before pushing past his sibling.

Stefan blurred to be in front of his brother once more.

"What's your problem?" he asked, pushing Damon back. "You'd do anything to protect Elena, why are you acting like you don't care?"

"I do care, _Stefan_," Damon spat back. "I just need a break, alright?"

"We can't _afford_ breaks," Stefan reminded him. "Klaus could decide to check up on us on any minute. What? Do you want us to be like some kind of sitting duck? It's enough that Elena already gave up her humanity, for _you_, I might add, but now she's basically risking her life by just being here right now, and you want to take a break?"

By this point, the younger brother was an inch away from Damon's face, his eyes narrowed. Damon knew he still loved Elena, and he knew there would be some underlying bitterness about the whole situation, but the fact that Stefan was basically insinuating that Damon was being lenient with time because he didn't care sent him over the edge.

"You know what, brother? I'm aware of everything you just said. I know what's at stake. I'm trying to help her when she comes back from training with Katherine. I'm trying to help her control her bloodlust. She's trying too. She's trying to make herself stronger; she's trying…." He trailed off, his wide blue eyes looking into the forest over his brother's shoulder. He let out a sight. "Katherine told Elena that she has to learn to be like her. Not permanently. She just needs to be able to pass off as Katherine for Klaus. But she's got a pretty good hold on it. Trust me," his eyes met his brother's. "I know."

Stefan backed off as he recognized the pain in his brother's eyes.

"I'll talk to her," he offered. His brother grimaced and rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to talk to her Stefan, I'm perfectly capable of handling it."

"Yeah, you seem to be doing a great job."

"Whatever. I'll be back shortly, I promise. I just need a drink," Damon explained before walking away. "Oh, enjoy the pancakes," he called over his shoulder.

"So when Klaus sees me come out of the woods, you-"

"Take advantage of the situation and get him to the ground somehow," Elena regurgitated for the fifth time.

"And…?"

Elena shifted uncomfortably. Ever since last night, she was very uncomfortable with pretending to be Katherine. She saw how easy it actually was to channel the other doppelganger and it scared her. It was like there was some connection between the two, and she briefly wondered if upon meeting Tatia, they'd be able to mimic her with as much ease.

"Do I have to?" she asked, feeling like a child.

Katherine had her up against a tree in a flash.

"The whole plan in dependent on us being interchangeable. They can't know who is who. We have to constantly change between the two of us to keep them guessing. No matter how well I can act like you, they'll be able to tell." She threw the Elena to the ground, smirking. "Besides, I haven't seen your Katherine yet. Have you even tried?"

Elena glared up at the older vampire, feeling her heart sink a little at the thought of what she did to Damon. He had gone through so much emotional turmoil over Katherine, and she just turned into both of their worst nightmares before his eyes. Damon had sworn he was over Katherine, and she didn't doubt that, but she knew he still had his scars, which were recent compared to how long he had spent pining over her. He had assured Elena that she would never be Katherine, and it was like she literally transformed into the other girl in seconds.

Katherine broke out into a smile as she stared down the weaker doppelganger.

"That's what Damon's mad about, isn't it? You practiced it on him," she let out a chuckle. "Stupid girl."

Elena felt a rush of anger inside her.

"It's kind of hard to balance everything in my life right now; I'm allowed to make mistakes!"

"No, you're not," Katherine replied bluntly. "We only have one shot for this and it has to work. Your stupidity isn't reassuring me in any way. If you can fuck up you and Damon up so easily, am I supposed to have faith that you won't fuck this up?"

"Listen, _Katherine_," Elena purred. She was fully aware of what she was doing, but she didn't remember trying to channel the other girl. It was like it was a natural defense; automatic. "Damon and I are going to be just fine, so don't you worry about that. We'll work it out. And another thing, you're worried _I'll_ fuck this plan up? How many of your plans have actually worked out for you? You've been running from Klaus for how long now? 500 years?" She made a tsk-tsk sound before continuing. "500 years of failed plans. How embarrassing."

Katherine smirked.

"Pretty good, I'll give you that."

"Oh no, I'm not finished," Elena told her, slowly approaching. "I may have messed things up with Damon, but it's just temporary. You permanently fucked up with both Damon _and_ Stefan. How did it feel to realize that you lost both of them due to your selfishness and all-around terrible personality? After all, they were the last remaining people that cared about you. Your parents died a long time ago, hell, your dad kicked you out. You had a few minions over the years, but Stefan and Damon were the last people to actually care about whether you lived of died, and now they don't even care about that. That's got to hurt. No one really gives a shit if you live or die," Elena ended, smirking.

The words were barely out of her mouth when Katherine came flying at her. She was knocked to the ground with the older girl on top of her.

"You better watch it, Elena. I can pretend to be you too. It'd sure be a shame if the first time you and Damon fucked, it was me and not you," she whispered threateningly. Elena's shocked expression broke through her Katherine ruse. Katherine continued darkly, "I'd do it too. You better watch yourself Elena. It'd be a shame if Damon fell for me again."

Now the positions had changed and Elena was holding Katherine to the ground, her fangs bared in anger. It didn't last long; Katherine was much stronger. She threw Elena off of her and blurred to be in front of her once more.

"You need to learn to _control_ yourself!" She yelled. "It will be such an easy giveaway if you can't hold your fangs back."

Elena grabbed the other girl, intending to throw her into a tree, but Katherine had grasped the younger girl as well, so they slammed into the tree together. They were locked in a death grip, spouting insults at one another, going from tree to ground to tree, always trying to shake the other off.

The two were separated only when two strong hands grabbed Katherine and pried her off of the other girl, causing both the girls to stumble backwards.

"What is going on here?" Stefan demanded. Both girls glared at him in response before one of pairs of brown eyes began to show signs of immense guilt. "You're supposed to be training. This is a catfight." He looked between the two doppelgangers. "Is anyone hurt?" Both girls shook their heads. His eyes narrowed at Katherine. "This is strike one. One more and this plan is off."

"It was my fault, Stefan," Elena quietly admitted.

The younger Salvatore's eyes shot to Elena in surprise.

"What?"

"Ugh. This is about to get emotional, I can tell. I'm leaving- we'll pick this up tomorrow when someone can control herself," Katherine jabbed, rolling her eyes as she walked away.

The two looked after the older doppelganger before focusing their attention on each other again. Stefan's eyes were inquisitive, causing Elena to sigh.

"Katherine wants me to be able to pass myself off as her for whenever we have to face Klaus. It didn't go so well."

"So I've heard," Stefan replied knowingly. The brunette girl looked at her feet in shame. Stefan exhaled slowly. "Walk with me."

* * *

><p>Fun fact! This chapter was exactly 2,000 words long! I hope you enjoyed it- I'm kind of toying around with the doppelganger connection- I hope y'all like it. PLEASE REVIEW and tell me why you'll miss Alaric the most.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

I'm so sorry about the late upload you guys! Last week was my last week of classes, and now I'm in finals mode. I know a lot of you were looking forward to the Elena/Stefan talk, so I tried to write it the best I could, I hope it doesn't disappoint! Thanks again for all of the reviews, and I'll stop rambling now so you guys can read!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

"I thought mimicking Katherine would be the toughest thing in the world, but it's not. The problem is…it's a lot easier than I thought, and it's hard for me to stop. It's like we're connected or something. It's like by pretending to be Katherine, I'm tapping into her mind. Her resentment, her hatred for everyone, her desire to get what she wants at all costs- I feel it all Stefan, and it scares me."

Elena and the younger Salvatore were slowly walking through the forest on the way back to the boarding house. Stefan had wanted a word with Elena about Damon, which of course led back to Katherine.

"You'll just have to learn how to control it. I'm sure there's a way of mimicking her without becoming her. Just look at when Katherine pretends to be you- she's always scheming and manipulative, so there has to be a way."

"How much time do I have, Stefan? Because it seems like I don't have a lot of it, and I kind of have some big things on my plate," Elena shot back a little irritant. "Damon wants me to hurry and control my bloodlust, you want me to control my mimicking of Katherine, and Katherine wants me to control my movements and senses. It's too much! I won't be able to do it!" her brown eyes started tearing up as she thought of the hopelessness of everything. "I don't have enough time, Klaus is going to find out, and he's going to kill all of us."

Stefan pulled the teary-eyed girl into a reassuring hug.

"It's going to be okay Elena. You're strong. You'll be able to do it, Damon and I believe in you. And when you're done with all of this, you'll be even stronger, okay?" he pulled back and met eyes with the girl he still had very strong feelings for. "You have to try, and you have to succeed, Elena. It's a lot of pressure, but you'll get through it."

"Why are you being so nice, Stefan?" she questioned after nodding an affirmative, acknowledging that she'd try and succeed. "I hurt you by choosing Damon. I know I did, so don't try and deny it. I'd expect you to hate me, but I know you're above that. Still, I figured I'd be met with at least a little resentment."

Stefan let out a sad laugh as they continued to the house.

"Damon's life hasn't been easy," Stefan explained. "Mine hasn't either, but even as a human, Damon always got the short end of the stick. It's just…really nice to see him happy for once. I'll be fine."

"Stefan-"

"Speaking of Damon…" Stefan said, trailing off.

"I know," Elena said softly, her eyes on the ground. "I feel awful. I've tried to apologize, but something always happens, or he'll never listen. I hope he'll let me explain when we get back. Katherine hurt him so bad. He spent 150 years pining after her, and just got over that dejection not even a year ago, and then I go and pull this. It's so wrong, and I know. I hate myself for it, and I wouldn't blame him if he hated me for it either. It's just- I was so hungry, and there was so much pressure. These last two days have been kind of a big adjustment, but I can't believe I got so blind sighted by my hunger that I would hurt him like that."

"It's been a long time since we were new vampires, but we're no strangers to blood lust. I'm sure he'll understand. Just go and tell him. He can't stay mad at you, Elena. We both know that," Stefan said with a small smile. "You're good for him. He needs you."

"Thank you, Stefan. For this talk and for still being here." The Salvatore nodded.

"You love him," he said matter-of-factly.

Elena couldn't help the grin on her lips as she looked up at her ex-boyfriend.

"I do," she nodded, her eyes twinkling with the words.

"And I can't do anything about that. It's out of my control, so why should I be bitter. I'm happy for you two," Stefan told her, the sadness dancing in his eyes but not taking away the truth of his words.

The two vampires smiled at each other in silent camaraderie as they reached the house.

"Go on up there," Stefan encouraged her. The brunette girl nodded and was off.

Damon walked into his room to find Elena on his bed, legs crossed and looking expectantly at the door. When he appeared, a small smile found its way to her lips.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," he replied in the same tone. He sat on the bed next to her, ready to work this thing out. He was tired with being angry; it wasn't entirely her fault. He had put too much pressure on her too fast, and he recognized that. He needed to save his anger for something useful. Like Klaus. Or Katherine.

"I'm sorry," Elena spoke as she looked into his blue eyes. She looked back to her feet before she continued. "I was wrong, and I was too stubborn to admit it."

Damon gently placed a hand on her cheek, guiding her eyes to his once more.

"It's fine," he reassured. "I expected too much from you too soon." His brows furrowed as he took in the second part of her apology. She was so apologetic last night and that morning, not stubborn at all. Were they on the same page, or was there something else she was apologizing for? He opened his mouth to ask about this but was interrupted by a screech from the hallway.

"God_dammit_ Katherine!"

The two vampires on the bed abruptly turned their attention to the doppelganger in the doorway, whose arms were crossed on her chest and whose hair was matted with twigs and leaves.

Damon looked between the two and sighed angrily.

"Leave, Katherine," he asserted, looking at the doppelganger next to him. She broke into a smirk.

"But it's so much fun," she pouted before getting up and walking to the door. "Remember what I said today in the woods, Elena. I promise I'm not bluffing," she whispered dangerously to her look-alike.

Elena could feel her heart beating harder than usual at the thought of Katherine and Damon _together_ together. It made her stomach squirm, and apparently her face had contortioned to show her feelings, because Damon was looking at her, concerned.

"I'm so sorry, Damon," she spoke, flinging herself into his arms.

"So am I," he told her genuinely, rubbing her back.

"Why are you sorry? It's my fault, not your's. I shouldn't have pretended to be Katherine. It was wrong, and I feel terrible about it. I'm never going to do that to you again. It's so hard to stop, Damon," she explained, looking into his eyes, hoping he was accepting her apology. "It's like I'm drawing from Katherine herself- I'm tapping into her, and I have to learn how to stop. More control, just like you said."

"I shouldn't have expected you to be able to control your cravings so quickly, Elena. That was wrong of me. I just- I want you to be the strongest you can be to face Klaus. I don't want to lose you."

Elena pulled back to look him in the eyes.

"You're _not_ going to lose me Damon. I promise you that."

"I love you," the elder Salvatore said before pulling her closer and pressing his lips to her's.

"I love you too," Elena replied, smiling from the kiss. "But we have to look out for Katherine. We kind of… got into a fight today. Like, a fight fight, and she's still pretty pissed with me, and she's threatening to… ah… sleep with you while pretending to me," Elena said hesitantly. Damon took a few seconds to process this.

"First of all, you have to tell me about this fight," he said with a devilish grin. "And secondly, don't worry about her fooling me. Because we're about to have a fool proof plan."

"A fool proof plan? I'm intrigued."

"Elena, I'm about to tell you something that nobody knows," he said, kind of uncertainly. "And I mean nobody. Not even Alaric."

"Damon…not to be…uh…_insensitive_, but are we really doing the 'Secret Password' thing?" Elena asked skeptically.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…that's kind of…childish?"

"It's worked every time I've done it, Elena, so unless you have a better plan-"

"How often have you done something like this, Damon?"

"…Twice."

"And how long ago was that?"

"…1852."

Elena arched her eyebrow in a silent victory.

"But it worked both times!" Damon shot back, grinning at Elena's victorious smirk. She gave in with a sigh.

"Fine. What's the secret that only I know?"

Damon began to get nervous again.

"Do you remember when you lost your vervain necklace around the time Katherine came to town the first time?" Elena nodded, signaling for Damon to continue. "Well, after our first encounter with Rose and Elijah, I gave it back to you."

"You did?" the doppelganger asked, confused. "I thought I just found it." Damon shook his head.

"That's the funny part," Damon said, knowing it was anything but funny. "I kind of…compelled you to forget."

"Why?"

"Because I told you I loved you," Damon admitted, looking her in the eyes. "I couldn't hold it in, and I had to tell you, but I knew you didn't feel the same, and I knew that I didn't deserve you. I didn't want you to remember, so I compelled you," he said, shrugging.

Elena stared at him, not sure what to say.

"Thank you," she told him after a few silent seconds. "Thank you for telling me this, and thank you for making me forget. I was able to get to where I am now on my own, without that in the back of my mind. You do deserve me, Damon, and I deserve you, in case a part of you still felt that way. I love you, okay? Don't worry anymore."

She smiled before pulling him closer for a kiss. His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her down to where they were laying side by side. Damon pulled back with a grin on his face.

"Now tell me about this doppelganger fight…"

* * *

><p>Again, sorry about the slow upload. This week I'm packing up my dorm...so I don't think I'll be updating this week either. I'M SO SORRY. But I will not abandon this story, I promise. AND OH MY GOD GUYS THE FINALE IS THIS WEEK I'M SO SCARED AND EXCITED AND OH MY GOD. If anyone wants to know my reaction to the finale, or just want to talk about TVD in general, my tumblr is:<p>

.com

I like friends. So follow me if you want, and please, please REVIEW! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **So...um... Hi.**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Sunlight fought its way through the blinds and found its mark on the face of Elena Gilbert. Squinting, she looked around the room, smiling as she realized she had spent the night in Damon's room after their reconciliation the night before. The male vampire was still asleep, and she smiled at how tranquil he looked. Propping herself up she kissed his cheek, both hoping not to wake him and knowing she would. As if on cue, his arms wrapped around her as soon as her lips left his scruffy cheek, and she let out sound of delight.

Damon didn't speak. He just held her in his arms as his blue eyes showered her with adornment, his brow furrowing after a few seconds.

"It's so nice to have you back in my bed, Elena," he whispered sadly. "I'm sorry about these last few days."

Elena shook her head, placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

"I'm going to make breakfast. Do you want an omelette?"

"I want _you_," Damon told her, his eyes dark with an implied meaning.

Elena could feel herself blushing under his intense gaze before she managed to wriggle out of his grasp. She kissed him on the cheek.

"I'll take that as a yes," she smiled before turning and walking out of the room, leaving a dejected Damon in bed.

Elena was making her way down to the kitchen when her new hearing picked up on a conversation in the house.

"For the record, I am glad you're here, Katherine. Whether or not any of us want to admit it, you are helping with mostly everything."

"_Mostly_ everything?"

"Leave Elena and Damon's relationship alone. I know that's probably weird considering everything Elena and I went through, but Damon spent a century and a half loving someone who didn't love him back. He deserves this."

"Look at you, being a good brother," Katherine heaved a sigh. "I guess I'll give up my _only_ source of amusement. After all…" she said, her voice getting softer- softer than Elena had heard from her, at least- "Why should I spend my time pretending to seduce Damon after you've just given me hope."

Elena's face flushed as she realized she was eavesdropping on a very personal conversation and tried to focus on the skittering of squirrels outside as she rushed to the kitchen.

Once she found a clean skillet, she cracked some eggs and turned up the flame on the old gas stove. Her mind couldn't help but wander as she cooked, absentmindedly adding milk, cheese, ham, and various other ingredients. She thought about Damon, about Klaus, about Katherine and Stefan. So many things were happening under this roof, and not one person understood it all.

Strong, familiar arms wrapped around her from behind just as she was placing the first omelette onto a plate.

"Is that for me?" Damon whispered in her ear, sending chills down her spine.

"As a matter of fact, it is," Elena smiled, spinning around to face him, the omelette held between them.

"It looks _delicious_," Damon complimented, not even glancing at the plate. He leaned in, giving the brunette a lingering chaste kiss. Reaching for the plate, he spoke again. "I'm sorry if I scared you earlier."

"You didn't scare me," she said, turning back to the skillet and starting on another omelette.

"You're such a bad liar," he chuckled as he took a bite of omelette. He let out a content moan. "But you're such a good cook!"

Elena couldn't help but smirk as she cooked the second omelette in the pan. She and Damon shared a comfortable silence as he ate and she cooked, but their attention turned to the door as they heard two pairs of footsteps.

Katherine and Stefan emerged in silence, a cloud of secrecy enveloping them as they sat at the table.

"Such a homebody," Katherine mumbled as she picked at her nails.

Elena didn't care; she kept her eyes firmly planted on her omelette, honestly terrified at what the other doppelganger would do if she knew what Elena had heard earlier.

"What's going on?" Damon questioned the two vampires at the table.

Stefan took a deep breath and locked eyes with Katherine before focusing his attention on his brother and Elena.

"Klaus called."

The room was silent, save for the simmering of the eggs in the skillet.

"What does he want?" Elena managed to choke out.

"Apparently, someone reported to him your absence from school lately, and he was calling to check on you. You know, to make sure you're alive and pumping blood. I told him you just had the flu," Stefan explained, "but he didn't believe me. He's on his way from somewhere out west and will be here tomorrow," he finished, looking down.

"Tomorrow?" Elena squeaked.

"Tomorrow? Absolutely not. We have to prolong this. They're not ready. They're both going to get killed!" Damon roared.

"You're confidence in us is astounding, by the way Damon. Have I told you that?" Katherine quipped from the table as Elena took the first bite of her omelette, though her appetite had disappeared. She chewed quickly and nervously as she thought.

"I think we can do it."

All eyes in the room turned to the new vampire. She swallowed the food in her mouth, eyes wide as she realized that she had spoken aloud.

"I mean…" she looked for words, trying not to look at Damon. "Katherine and I nearly have it down perfectly. If we just run it through over and over today- we'll be set, and we won't have to worry about Klaus anymore."

"Elena's right," Katherine nodded. "The longer we put this off, the greater the chances are of Klaus deciding to pay us a surprise visit and catch us off-guard. We need to act while _we_ have the upper hand."

"But you've only been working on this for a few days! We were planning on having at least a week to get ready for this. Elena's still not used to her body or her cravings- so many things could go wrong with that!" Damon argued.

"I agree with Damon. There's just too much room for error in this plan. We need more time," the younger Salvatore agreed.

"I've been running for half a millennium. If I have a chance to kill Klaus, I'm going to take it." Katherine asserted. "I'm not waiting for the next chance we get, because he could come into town tomorrow, take us by surprise, and kill us all. And that's not going to happen- because _I _am going to drive a stake through his heart."

"_We_ are going to drive a stake through his heart," Elena corrected, standing her ground on the matter.

"Like Hell you are!" Damon spat. "This is _Klaus_ Elena. You need more preparation- you're going to get yourself killed!"

"He's right; it's too dangerous," Stefan conceded, getting up to stand with his brother.

"Even as a vampire, they treat you like you're helpless," Katherine scoffed.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Elena asked them. "Stefan, you've always given me a choice no matter what," she said, imploring the younger Salvatore to see things from her perspective.

"In case you've forgotten, which I sincerely hope you haven't, you're not with Stefan anymore," the raven-haired brother interrupted with a bitter tone. Elena's brown eyes cut to Damon, narrowed.

"I'm quite aware of that, thank you, but I knew it would be easier to get Stefan see it my way before I got you to. Regardless, I'm getting a choice in this. And I'm making a choice for us. How is this any different than me taking Abby's vampirism? I'm making a choice for _us_, Damon, just like I did then. I'm making this choice for us to be together. So I'm fighting tomorrow with Katherine. And we're killing Klaus, once and for all. And he'll never be able to threaten us again," Elena had set down her plate and walked to be right in front of Damon, looking directly into his eyes, hoping he could see the determination lying within them. "Call Caroline and Bonnie, and tell them to meet us in the woods. We're going to need them."

And with that, Elena blurred out of the room, leaving Katherine and the Salvatores in stunned silence.

"You know, I still don't like her, but it's pretty great when she can shut you two up like that," Katherine appreciated, before following the doppelganger out the door.

I don't know what to say, really. I'm sorry it's taken me...what? 3...4 months? To be honest, not many people are reviewing, so I wasn't really inspired, and also real life and whatnot. Please review... I promise I'll try to update faster! There's going to be about 2 or 3 chapters left, and possibly a Katherine/Stefan one-shot that takes place before/during this chapter. Let me know what you think! :)


	7. Chapter 7

This is a really short, probably insignificant chapter. Chapter 7 and 8 were originally going to just be chapter 7 but it'd be too long- but never fear! I put up a Steferine one-shot (the scene leading up to what Elena heard between them in Ch. 6) called "_It Will Always Be You_". Also, I already have some of the next chapter written, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be ALL DELENA! YAY ALL DELENA! Anyway, here's chapter 7... chapter 8 will be out soon! :)

**Chapter 7**

Caroline and Bonnie arrived at the boarding house a little after one. Opening the door, they walked in, assuming the vampires were all in the woods.

"By all means, let yourselves in," Damon said as he blurred in front of him, a glass of amber liquid in his hand. He took a swig and pursed his lips as he looked at the two girls before him.

"Why aren't you out there helping them?" Bonnie asked, her eyes narrow.

"Stefan and I aren't allowed to be there with them. They think we'll mess it up, or something. However, _you _two are needed in the clearing out a ways. I don't get it. "He pointed in the direction they should head in and walked down the corridor to another room.

Bonnie and Caroline hurried to get to the doppelgangers, both expecting to be mediators and keep the two brunettes from killing one another. What they saw when they reached the clearing was a whole other story.

The two doppelgangers were moving in perfect synchronicity, practicing driving stakes through a mannequin as they blurred in and out of the clearing. After a few more strategically-placed stakes, the two came to a halt, looking flushed and giddy.

"We have this in the bag," Katherine determined with an air of confidence as she strode away from Elena and towards the two newcomers. "Just make sure you speed up a little at the end- you're lagging."

"Hey Bonnie, hey Caro-"

Elena's sentence was cut off by her two friends running to smother her with hugs.

"Elena, how are you?"

"Do you feel okay?"

"How was the transition?"

"Am I too close to you? Is this ok yet?"

Elena laughed and untangled herself from the grips of her friends.

"It's good to see you guys too," she said, stepping away from them, struggling with the closeness to Bonnie. She made it a point to focus on the joy she felt at seeing her friends instead of the thought of the warm blood coursing through Bonnie's veins.

"Are you sure you're okay? I can leave," Bonnie offered uncertainly, seeing her friend's reaction.

"No- don't leave. It's fine, I promise. Besides, we kind of need you. Both of you."

"Klaus is on his way back to Mystic Falls. He'll be here tomorrow," Katherine interjected into the conversation. "In order to kill him, both Elena and I have to dagger him with white oak stakes. One of us will kill his vampire side, and one of us will kill his werewolf side."

"And luckily, Damon, Stefan, and Alaric were able to locate a source of white oak- they made the old Wickery Bridge sign from it, so they're forging some stakes today. That's their job. This is all happening way faster than we were hoping, but we have to act now. If not, we're all going to be in danger," Elena explained, pausing for the other doppelganger to continue.

"We know for a fact that Rebekah is going to be with him, which we didn't count on when we started training," Katherine informed the two. She turned her attention to Bonnie. "We need you to disable her with that mind thing you do. That hurts like a bitch, so that will take her down for sure. If she's left running around, this whole thing will go to shit and we'll all die."

"Alternatively," Elena proceeded, her attention on Caroline, "if you could just snap her neck, we could stake her and it would all still go well. We just need Rebekah out of the picture. Actually, let's just stick with that plan. Caroline will take care of Rebekah. Bonnie, I actually have a favor to ask," she hesitated. "I know this is a huge favor already, asking you two to be involved in this, but do you think you could keep Damon and Stefan safe? Incapacitate them or something, please. Just make sure they don't try to jump in or do anything stupid."

The two girls were standing in a stunned silence as they stared at the two doppelgangers.

"Great idea. Let's bring in the witch and Barbie," Katherine drawled in their silence. "Nice going, Gilbert. I told you, we can just handle it ourselves."

"Sorry if it's a little much to take in," Caroline snapped.

"Wait…so Klaus is coming _tomorrow_?" Bonnie repeated.

"Yes. And I'm so sorry about the short notice, but we called you two as soon as we found out. It's going to be really hard to do this without you, but we understand if it's asking too much."

Katherine coughed.

"Sorry," Elena sighed, rolling her eyes. "_I_ understand if it's asking too much."

Bonnie and Caroline looked to one another, their faces solemn as the news really hit them.

"Of course I'm in, Elena," Caroline gushed, flying forward to envelop her friend in another hug, gaining an eye-roll and a scoff from Katherine.

"If it will get rid of Klaus for good, count me in too," Bonnie nodded, albeit less enthusiastic than her blonde friend. She raised an eyebrow at Elena, as if asking if it was alright to give her another hug.

"It's fine, Bonnie, there's nothing to work about," Elena smiled, her arms held out for her next friend.

The witch smiled as she hugged her friend, though she was wary of the fact that she could snap at any minute. Her blood ran cold as the vampire placed her lips close to her ear.

"Long time, no see, Bennet."

Brown eyes shot open and the witch fell backwards trying to get out of the grip of the vampire, however non-threatening it might have been.

"Katherine?"

Caroline and Bonnie looked between the two doppelgangers to see two identical smirks looking back at them.

"Okay-somebody better tell me what the _fuck_ is going on here!" Caroline shouted, her eyes narrowing. One of the brunettes- the one who they previously believed to be Katherine- dropped her smile and looked at the ground sheepishly.

"Sorry guys," she said softly. "We have to make sure we're completely interchangeable for tomorrow. I knew if we could fool you we'd be good."

"Wait wait wait," Caroline rushed, closing her eyes to make some sense out of the world. "So, _you're_ Elena," she guessed, pointing at the apologizer, "and _you're_ Katherine," she said pointing at the doppelganger with the bored look on her face.

Elena nodded, apologizing again.

"Ew! I hugged Katherine!" Caroline shuddered as Bonnie sourly looked between the two brunettes.

"I promise that won't happen again. Until tomorrow. No one can know the difference between us tomorrow- it's too dangerous," Elena continued.

"Yeah yeah yeah, you're sorry. We get it. They said they'd help, now let's get back to practicing so none of us die tomorrow," Katherine said, turning around to walk further into the clearing. "We're doing scenario 2!" She called behind her.

Elena was left with her two friends, looking guilty.

"Well, before we start…can I get those hugs? I've missed you guys!"

Bonnie and Caroline couldn't help but grin as they wrapped her in a big hug before setting off to practice their destruction of Klaus.

* * *

><p>There's chapter 7! Chapter 8 will be out soon, and meanwhile why don't you review this chapter as well as "<em>It Will Always Be You<em>"? I'll be back soon- only 3 more chapters left! :)

Thanks for reading and reviewing! -Klcthenerd


	8. Chapter 8

**To make up for the small chapter last time, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. It gets a little steamy- but I can't write sex scenes- I just can't. PLEASE review you guys, there's only 2 more chapters left! (I think...)  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

Damon and Stefan returned to the house around 7:00, a bag of white oak stakes in tow. Stefan took the bag and brought it to his room for safeguarding through the night while Damon went and found the source of voices in the house.

His search led him to the kitchen, where he found two doppelgangers, a blonde vampire, and a witch, all looking pretty rough, and all drinking water in between short, thoughtful sentences.

"So when Elena-"

"Caroline, shh!" Elena interrupted as she spotted the elder Salvatore brother. The girls went silent as their attention turned to the male.

"Yes. That makes me feel much better about you taking on Klaus tomorrow," Damon pursed his lips. "You have these two helping now."

"It's going to be fine, Damon. I promise, nothing bad is going to happen, and if all else fails, we'll have you and Stefan as backup," she reasoned, giving him a hug. Unnoticed by Damon, she threw a glance at Bonnie, hoping to be reassured that Stefan and Damon would _not_ be available for back up. She got her confirmation and pulled back from Damon, smiling. "Do you have the stakes?"

"Sir broods-a-lot has them up in his room for safe keeping."

"How big are they?" Elena asked.

"About the size of your average stake," the raven-haired vampire replied.

"I'll go make sure they're about the size of what we've been practicing with," Katherine excused herself, starting in the direction of Stefan's room. Damon turned his attention to Caroline and Bonnie.

"So how did Buffy camp go today?"

"Good," they replied in unison.

"So how many stakes do we have?" Elena asked hurriedly, trying to steer the conversation away from what would be happening in the clearing.

"Six," Damon answered shortly as his eyes sought Elena's, in a search for some clue to what would be happening when Klaus came. He was still deeply upset about her outburst this morning, but she was right; they had to kill Klaus now if there was ever going to be a future for them to look forward to.

Elena did not flinch under his gaze. She was determined to keep them both safe, and that meant Damon couldn't know anything. She straightened her spine and placed her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow in defiance.

Caroline and Bonnie shifted uncomfortably before making eye contact and silently agreeing that it was time for them to leave.

"Well…uh…we're going to head out. We'll be back tomorrow at 8 am sharp!" Caroline declared before steering Bonnie out of the kitchen and out of the house.

Elena could feel herself start to smile as Damon started to walk towards her, the searching in his eyes gone, replaced with playfulness. Her arms crossed in front of her and her chin tilted up, brown eyes following Damon as he started to circle her.

"So defiant, Miss Gilbert," he observed, his lip quirked up to the side. His voice sent chills down her spine.

"And what are you going to do about it, Mr. Salvatore?"

Damon's eyes lit up as he moved to pull her towards him, only to have her blur out of his reach and across the kitchen. His confused eyes shot to her before darkening with the thrill of a challenge as she grinned.

"Guess what?" he asked before blurring over to her. "I can do that too."

Elena rose up on her toes to plant a lingering kiss upon his lips before pulling away.

"You don't think I know that?"

And with that, she was gone again, leaving Damon frustrated in her wake. He rushed off to find her, chasing the sound of her pounding heart all through the house only to end up back in the kitchen, where he managed to pin her against the island. His blue eyes were alight as he looked down at Elena, who looked overjoyed to be caught.

"Gotcha."

Damon dipped his head down to capture Elena's lips, removing his hands from the counter and circling them around her waist. Her arms reflexively wrapped behind his neck, her dull teeth nipping at his lower lip, trying to bring him closer. She let out a sigh as his right hand trailed from her hip and along her side before gently entangling itself in her hair. His thumb stroked the spot beneath her ear as he deepened the kiss, his body now forcing hers to bend slightly backwards over the counter.

Elena was able to mumble his name through their kisses, causing him to pull back ever-so-slightly to look down at her. Her eyes were glistening with the passion of her lust, but her brows were creased in apology.

"I realize that this is _not_ the best time, but I'm hungry. Like, _really_ hungry. I haven't had any blood all day," she told him, groaning as he put distance between them, turning to open the refrigerator.

"I have a solution for that!" Damon exclaimed, turning around with a blood bag in hand. He crossed the kitchen and positioned himself where he had been seconds earlier, right against Elena. As he neared, he saw Elena's eyes focus on the bag and the blue veins begin to pop out. She still didn't have a ton of control, and Damon remembered all too clearly what had happened the last time he tried to teach her. Something in his mind clicked and he smirked down at the new vampire.

"Elena," he spoke, his voice oozing with sensuality, "I'm going to teach you about _control_."

Elena stared at him, the veins still prominent around her eyes, not fully understanding.

"But- we tried this, Damon," her voice faltered, thinking of that night; that terrible, terrible, night. "Are you sure you want to try that again?"

"I have another method in mind," he told her, bringing the bag to his lips and ripping the corner open with his teeth. The smell hit Elena like a brick and her fangs came out instantly, straining against Damon to get the liquid. "Shh sh sh," he calmed her, dipping a finger into the bag's cold contents and holding it in front of her.

Her eyes darted from the blood on his finger, to his eyes, and back again, not really understanding, but so consumed with hunger she didn't think about it. She lunged forward and took his finger in her mouth, determined to suck it clean, minding her fangs.

"Control, Elena, control. Don't sever my finger," Damon chuckled, not taking his eyes off of the beauty at his fingertips. She pulled away, releasing the finger, not a drop of blood in sight. She smiled at him hesitantly.

"That wasn't so bad," she admitted. "Was it alright? Did I hurt you?" Damon shook his head.

"You did great," he returned her smile. "But that was just the easy part; when there's a pulse, it makes it so much harder to think. We're going to try something a little bit different now." Elena's eyes followed his fingers as they dipped into the bag and brought the blood to the side of his neck, right on top of the vein. She shook her head.

"I'll hurt you Damon, I can't do it."

"First off, I'm a vampire; I'll heal very quickly if you _do_ hurt me. Secondly, you _won't _hurt me. You don't even have to puncture the skin, the blood is on the surface," he pointed out, grabbing her waist and pulling her closer. "Your compassion can outweigh your desire to rip something to shreds. Just think about not hurting me."

Reluctant to move forward at first, the blood called to Elena and she felt herself slowly lean in, her eyes not leaving Damon's as she neared his neck. His eyes were so calm and understanding; they helped her to relax before placing her lips on the top of the red spot on his neck. Her tongue slowly traced the vein, her taste buds singing as the blood entered her system. Her fangs grazed on the spot where, on a human, she would plunge in and drink them dry. She began to apply pressure when she felt a hand on the small of her back.

"Control, Elena," he said softly, almost to himself as he traced the inseam of her arm with his other hand. His eyes were closed in trust and from the pleasure he was getting from Elena's proximity to one of his most vulnerable spots.

Elena retracted her fangs, relying on her tongue to lap up all of the blood on Damon's neck, sending a chill down his spine. Once she finished, she realized how labored her breathing had been during the whole ordeal. She pulled her head up and smiled at Damon, feeling twenty times better about her self-control. The older vampire opened his eyes, darkened with desire, and returned her smile before bending down to give her a short kiss.

"Didn't I say you could do it?"

Elena shrugged, modest about her new accomplishment, and took the bag of blood from Damon's hand.

"While I really like this new method of teaching, I need this right now. I was fighting myself around Bonnie all day, and I think I deserve a treat." Damon dipped his fingers in the blood once more before Elena brought the bag to her lips. He reached across and wiped the blood on her neck.

"Well, I had to spend the day with Stefan, so I think I deserve a little treat as well," he grinned, swooping down to place his lips on her neck.

Her gums tingled with contentment as the blood filled her mouth and slid down her throat, extinguishing the burning sensation she had had all day. The feeling of Damon's lips on her neck broke through the euphoric haze of her quenched hunger and raised goosebumps on her skin. She felt his fangs graze her flesh and she gasped at the deliberate pressure he was applying. He licked the spot one last time, finishing the small amount of blood that had been there.

He lifted his head to find Elena staring at him, her eyes wide in amazement. She was confounded at his ability to know just where to touch her, to kiss her, to make her feel the way she did. Her fangs were itching to come out once again in hunger, only this time she knew it was a different kind of hunger.

"You're such a messy eater," Damon teased as he ran his thumb just below her lip, where there was a large spot of blood. He intended to bring it to his lips, but was stopped when two smaller hands grabbed his wrist and forced it to stop. He blinked and all of a sudden, there was an Elena on the end of his thumb. He couldn't help but chuckle at her frenzied need for blood.

"Control," he purred while his eyes took her in from head to toe, lingering on her mouth that was around his finger. He gently removed it before getting another swipe of blood and successfully bringing it to his mouth this time. "Mmm..." he said loudly, smirking at Elena's dumbstruck expression. "O negative. My favorite."

As Damon puckered his lips and removed his thumb from his mouth, Elena lunged, both hungers too strong for her to fight. Damon actually seemed surprised when Elena's lips crashed into his, her tongue aggressive and on a mission. However caught off guard he was, he didn't mind it in the slightest. His hands fell into place immediately; one on her hip and one on the base of her neck.

Both of Elena's hands fished into his jet black hair, the taste of Damon and blood mingling in her mouth was sending a fire through her veins, igniting her body. She yanked his head back, her nose trailing down his jawbone and coming to a stop where her lips had been moments before. Her breathing became heavy once more and she pulled back, looking at the man before her, a confused look on her face.

He nodded encouragingly, as if understanding her unanswered question.

"You want to drink from me. It's normal for a vampire to feel that way when their libido is pumping," he winked. "Go ahead; just be gentle until you get the hang of it."

"Won't it hurt you?"

"Elena, drinking from one another is one of the most intimate things vampires can do, especially when in conjunction with something else," he suggested, wiggling his eyebrows. Elena felt her body convulse at his words, her body aching for the closeness that seemed to be coming. She just nodded slightly, leaning forward once more, her fangs breaking free.

She felt the skin break, and the next thing she knew, she was feeding. She was actually feeding from something other than a blood bag. That fact alone was cause for excitement enough, but the fact that the first warm blood to touch her lips tasted undeniably like Damon snapped something inside of her. She rammed him into the cabinets across the kitchen, her hands running over his body while she drank.

Strong hands on her shoulders slowly pushed her back slightly.

"Easy there," he warned in a husky voice. Never in a million years did he think he'd have Elena feeding on him, and he wanted to remember this, not pass out from blood loss. Elena looked up at him with dark eyes full of a desire Damon had never seen before. When she opened her mouth to speak, her voice was low and full of promise.

"I'm done with control tonight, Damon."

Damon felt a twitch below as he eyed the girl before him hopefully.

"What are you saying?"

"You know what I'm saying, Damon."

"I think I do, but I want to hear you say it."

"I want to have sex, Damon. With you. Right now."

"Well now," Damon smirked, rushing to the counter across from them lifting her up on top of it, "that sounds very doable."

He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her forward, their lips melding together immediately. His hands gathered the hem of her shirt, just above her waist, and gently tugged it over her head, their lips breaking contact for a few seconds to allow the cloth to be discarded on the floor beside them.

His fingers returned to her, running down the exposed skin of her shoulders, back, and abdomen. Realizing this was the most he had ever seen of her, he pulled away from the kiss, his blue eyes drinking in her exposed flesh. Hands continued to roam as Elena unbuttoned the black shirt her boyfriend wore and pushed it off his shoulders, the male vampire not even noticing as his eyes were glued to a glorious valley held together by a single black bra.

Elena noticed this and smiled as she leaned in to kiss him, her mouth traveling to his ear.

"Let's go upstairs"

Those three words awoke the beast within Damon, and he had her splayed on his bed in mere seconds. He made quick work of her pants, quickly throwing them across the room as he stared at her scantily-clad body while removing his own pants.

His eyes were sweeping over her gorgeous figure from toe to head when he froze at the look on her face. To the untrained eye, she looked as any half-naked girl expectant of sex would look; lusty eyes, heavy breathing, disheveled hair. But Damon saw that glint in her eye. The glint of nervousness. The glint of fear.

He climbed next to her in bed, pulling her towards him in long embrace, and he could feel her rapid heartbeat.

"I know I'm probably going to regret this, but we don't have to do this, Elena. If you're not ready, you're not ready. That remark I made this morning- it's nothing. I don't want you to feel like you have to do this for some reason. We have all the time in the world," Damon said softly before smiling as he tacked on, "Literally."

"But what if we don't, Damon?" Elena's broken voice answered assertively. "The fact of the matter is: Klaus is going to be here tomorrow, and we might all be dead by this time tomorrow!" A few warm tears escaped her brown eyes.

"Hey, don't think like that," Damon scolded gently, turning her to face him. "You and Katherine are going to be perfect tomorrow. You are both driven beyond opposition, though normally for different reasons. I know neither of you would have come in today if you weren't one hundred percent sure you're going to win tomorrow. Everything's going to be fine." The Salvatore used his thumb to wipe away a tear from her soft cheek as more began to spill out.

"I'm scared Damon," she whispered, eyes searching his, imploring him for some kind of solace; some kind of reassurance. "I've only been a vampire for a few days. What if something goes wrong? What if something happens that we didn't train for?"

"Stop thinking of the 'what if's, Elena. Think of what you know. Tomorrow Klaus is going to come, and we have to kill him. We have to fight for what we have so we can live without his constant threat. If we remember that, we'll be fine- the drive we have for each other will ensure that we win."

Elena took a deep breath and nodded, knowing that Damon was right, as he often was. She leaned up to plant a loving kiss on his mouth.

"Thank you, Damon."

He nodded, smiling down at the girl before him. She had gone through so much in the last few days, and handled it so well, for the most part. His heart swelled with pride and love at her determination to go after Klaus, even if he did want to postpone it.

"I love you, Elena."

Elena looked up in shock, expecting more of a "you're welcome," but she didn't complain. It meant so much to her that Damon was letting her make her own choices, even if he didn't agree. And the fact that he was able to console her without bashing the stupidity of her plans really showed a growth in him, the signs of which she had only seen a few times. Her heart pounded as she stared into his blue eyes, knowing in her heart that tonight was the night for them, regardless if Klaus was coming tomorrow or in 500 years.

She pushed herself up onto her knees, her lips softly meeting his as she put on hand on his shoulder and another one on the mattress to steady herself. Gently, she leaned her body into his, forcing him to bend backwards, his back coming into contact with the mattress. He pulled away.

"Elena, there will be other nights, I promise you. I don't want you to rush if you're not ready," he told her hesitantly. The last thing he wanted was for her to regret something so special.

"I'm ready, Damon," she told him softly, smiling as his relieved expression.

"Oh thank God!" he breathed, pulling her into him.

* * *

><p>So there's a WHOLE BUNCH OF DELENA GOODNESS! That makes you guys want to review, right? Riiiiiiiight?<p>

I love you guys so much, in case I don't say that enough :)


	9. Chapter 9

So it's been a long time kind of. Not as long as that one break, but still. I moved back to school a week or so ago, so I'm really trying to crank the rest of this story out before I get super busy and take a months-long break again. This chapter (and the next) was the starting point for this sequel. I had the idea, and thus, the sequel was born. However, I knew this was going to be one of the most difficult to write, so thanks for hanging with me. Hope you enjoy it, and let me know what you think!

**Chapter 9**

They were awoken by the sound of the door slamming into the wall.

"What the hell, Gilbert? We were supposed to meet in the kitchen ten minutes ago!" Katherine fumed as she barged into Damon's room, cocking an eyebrow in intrigue as she saw her doppelganger scrambling to cover herself with the burgundy comforter. Katherine rolled her eyes and continued in a bored voice, "Relax. It's not like I haven't seen it before. Downstairs. _Now_." And with that she turned on her heel and exited the room.

Elena exchanged a worried look with Damon before their eyes softened as they looked upon each other and reminisced on the previous night. Without speaking they leaned into one another, their lips barely touching when they both heard a "NOW!" uttered by a _very_ angry Katherine.

Elena pulled back, eyes opening as she looked at Damon for the last time before their confrontation with Klaus. She knew her nervousness was apparent on her face when Damon raised a hand to smooth her hair, blue eyes boring into hers.

"Everything's going to be fine today, Elena. It's all going to go off without a hitch." Elena nodded, wanting to believe him

"I love you, Damon."

"I love you too. I'll be right there in case anything happens. Don't worry about it, just focus."

Elena mustered the best smile she could before blurring out of bed to put on clothes, not wanting to give Damon the chance to find out about her and Bonnie's agreement. He stopped her before she could get through the door.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," she managed, trying to look him in the eyes. "I just want this all to be over with so we can stop worrying." Damon smiled and leaned down to kiss her once more. As he pulled back, Elena's eyes began to water. "Damon, just promise me you're not going to do anything stupid."

The raven-haired vampire cracked a smile.

"You stole my line."

Elena offered a small smile in return before blurring out of the room and down to her angry body double.

"Well now that we've lost a good fifteen minutes to your little fuck-fest, I'm glad we can actually focus on the matter at hand, here. You know, the one where we have to kill the guy who wants us both dead? Yeah, let's go."

The two vampires sped out the door to the clearing, where Bonnie and Caroline were already waiting for them.

"There you two are! We were getting worried that maybe Klaus had shown up early," Caroline spoke, her eyes shifting between the two girls, trying to tell them apart.

Both doppelgangers were wearing a pair of jean Bermuda shorts, tennis shoes, and a horizontally striped green and white shirt. Their hair was straightened to perfection in true Elena style and they wore matching daylight bracelets. The only difference was in their stances.

"Blame her for that," the left doppelganger snipped, indicating the offending vampire with a tilt of her head. "She and Damon were in a deep post-coital slumber."

Elena felt her cheeks redden as Bonnie and Caroline's eyes widened, excitement etched all over the blonde's face.

"You didn't!" she gasped in delights. "I need all the details Elena. Start from the top."

"We don't really have time for that right now, Caroline," Bonnie interrupted, extremely nervous at their impending appointment.

"The witch is right, we need to talk everything through and get ready," Katherine said urgently.

"Caroline and Bonnie, you're going to start out in the center with one of us, we can't say who," Elena began, her eyes focused on Katherine, making sure they were on the same page. "We're looking for earthworms to dissect in biology, that's our story."

"Once Klaus arrives," Katherine picked up, "whichever one of us is with you two will ask you to leave, so that it'll be a one-on-one with Klaus. This has to move fast, because he'll realize that whoever "Elena" is-" she said with air quotes- "isn't human."

"Both of you need to hide, _immediately_. And Bonnie," at this time Elena turned her attention to her friend, "_please_ remember what I said about Damon and Stefan. Make sure they're disoriented or something; don't let them barge into the fight." The witch nodded, a solemn look on her face.

"Basically, stay out of our way or be killed," Katherine summed up, eyes narrowing at the two high school girls who had volunteered their lives to help. Elena rolled her eyes.

"Thank you guys, so much for doing this," she breathed, pulling them both into a hug, trying to stop the tears pooling in her eyes. She took a deep breath before pulling back, focusing on channeling Katherine to toughen up. She exhaled and stepped back from her best friends, all traces of tears gone. "Okay. You two stay here, we need to go finalize some things before Klaus shows up," Elena explained, walking to Katherine.

"Take these," the older vampire called, tossing two white-oak stakes to the witch-vampire duo. "I know we won't fail, but it can't hurt to have some backup," she offered a small smile as she slipped into her Elena persona.

"See you guys on the other side!" Elena shrugged nervously before the two turned around and walked into the trees, leaving Bonnie and Caroline to hide their stakes in the nearby bushes.

Damon had departed to attend standby duty in the woods about two minutes before the doorbell to the boardinghouse rang. Stefan made his way to the front door and opened it, only to have Klaus waltz into the house, looking around.

"Rebekah will be here shortly. Where's the girl?"

"Hello to you too, Klaus," Stefan dryly replied as he closed the door. Bonnie and Caroline came over with the homework she missed the last few days. They're out back looking for something to dissect for biology tomorrow."

"Splendid. I found a pack of wolves out west, and I'm in need of a little doppelganger blood," he waggled his eyebrows as he turned to the Salvatore. "Shall we?"

Stefan's face remained stoic as he led Klaus through the house and out the back door, walking through all of the trees at a human pace. He tried to keep his nerves in check and under wraps, not wanting Klaus to detect anything strange about his behavior.

"I see you're still a tad bitter about the whole compulsion situation," Klaus observed at Stefan's cold silence.

"Along with the fact that you're using Elena as a blood bag. Yeah, I'm a _tad bitter_."

"Cheer up, Stefan. As long as I'm making Hybrids I'm not going to kill her!" Klaus smiled in a patronizing manner before crossing the shrubbery line and entering the clearing.

"Elena!" he called in a sing-song voice, as one would call a child, making his way to where the three girls were crouched around a small hole in the ground. They all looked up simultaneously, troubled expressions on their face as they laid eyes upon the Original. The blonde vampire and the witch moved to flank her, but she held up a hand to stop them.

"I got this, guys, just go inside or something," she whispered over her shoulder. "I know what he wants, anyway," she added, looking him in the eyes with a defiant tilt of her head.

Bonnie and Caroline looked at each other hesitantly before grabbing their worm specimens and heading out of the clearing. Caroline then blurred somewhere in the distance while Bonnie crouched in a bush neighboring Damon.

As Klaus slowly made his way to the doppelganger in the center, Stefan shrunk behind cover of foliage, awaiting Damon's signal to intervene before either of the doppelgangers got injured.

Damon tensed up from his position as he saw Klaus stop in front of the girl in the clearing, his face contorted into an expression of confusion as he finally noticed the absence of human blood rushing through her veins. Rage clouded his features as his hand shot out and grabbed her throat, lifting her off the ground.

Damon looked at his brother and nodded as he moved to intervene, only for both of them to be met with an agonizing witch migraine, causing them to collapse where they were hiding. Bonnie looked at each of them apologetically, before turning her attention to what was happening before her.

"_Katerina!_" He hissed, eyes narrowing.

"You'd be wrong on that assumption, Klaus," a voice purred from behind him. His head snapped around in disbelief, eyes landing on the other Petrova doppelganger, unintentionally loosening his grip on the other. "Miss me?"

His attention shot back to the doppelganger who had just escaped his grasp, who now wore an identical smirk to her counterpart. Realization washed over him as he registered the lack of human blood in the immediate vicinity.

"My hybrids…" he said to himself, eyes wide before lunging for the doppelganger who had escaped his grasp. Right as he reached the vampire, he felt himself being knocked into a tree across the way. Two brunettes with straight hair were smiling at him, standing side by side. "How did this happen?" he demanded.

The smiles turned to smirks as the doppelgangers started sauntering away from each other, both of their attentions on the angry Original.

"Does it really matter?" the one on the left said.

"All that really matters is that you can't make hybrids anymore. No more blood bank for you," the other finished by rubbing the fact in his face.

"It was the Salvatores, wasn't it?" Klaus inquired murderously.

The doppelgangers shrugged in unison.

"Don't be so coy about it, ladies," the Original called to the two of them, regaining some of his composure as he snapped off a branch. "I know it was them. And so I'm simply going to kill them. And you two can watch."

"Like Hell you are!"

One of the doppelgangers had him thrown onto the ground in a heartbeat, veins showing through the skin around her eyes. Anticipating an impassioned reaction, Klaus took the branch and plunged it into the vampire, missing her heart by a few inches due to the other doppelganger throwing her off of the older vampire.

Behind the bushes, the Salvatores heard the stake pierce skin and they were frantically trying to escape the force field of witchy magic that lead them to being in excruciating pain. Damon was going to kill the witch with no remorse if Elena died because of her, and he meant it.

"Bonnie, let us go," Stefan implored, fingers pulling at his hair to distract from the pain inside his head.

"I can't. Elena asked me to make sure you two didn't do anything stupid," she replied, not looking at the brothers. She felt uneasy about the whole situation, and a part of her wanted to let the brothers go.

"You're listening to _Elena_?" Damon asked incredulously. "Her plans-ah- never work!" he hissed through his pain.

The fallen doppelganger grunted as she slowly removed the branch from her side, not anticipating Klaus' attack. She turned her head to the side to see her counterpart pinned to the ground by the throat, brown eyes wide with fear. After throwing the branch carelessly to the side, the injured girl blurred over to the brawl and threw Klaus off, making sure not to land him by any trees this time.

The two girls made eye contact, both a little frightened that their plans were being rearranged due to Klaus' actions. They had to act fast. The doppelganger with the wound sped off into the trees in search of her hidden stake.

"Looks like it's just you and me, luv," Klaus smiled menacingly.

"Klaus, I can explain how this all happened," the doppelganger tried to stall, taking on Elena's personality. "I did it to save someone I love!"

"Yes, and that seems to be a big waste of your efforts, because since you're no longer useful to me, I'm going to kill you," he spoke slowly, as if to a child.

The girl looked around frantically for her double as Klaus made his way towards her. He shook his head in amusement.

"Tsk tsk, Elena. You should know by now that Katherine only saves herself. At the first sign of trouble, she left you here to take the fall. That's how she's stayed alive for the last 500 years- by throwing others under the bus when the going gets tough," he bent down to grab the tree branch he had shoved into the other doppelganger. "Now if you just stay still, I'll make it nice and quick, and I'll let you die before the Salvatore boys. I have to say, I'm a little alarmed by their absence. I thought for sure they'd be waiting in the wings, ready to die for you," he said with a bit of bravado.

"Maybe they are," the brunette said, squaring her shoulders and mustering up some courage.

"You expect me to believe they'd let you get into this much danger?" Klaus laughed, raising the stake to her chest, applying pressure. His voice changed to a low, threatening whisper. "No Salvatores coming to your rescue after all, eh, luv?"

He let out a cry as he felt his body erupt into internal flames. There was a piercing feeling, on top of everything, coming from the left side of his back, and he immediately knew the only thing it could be.

The previously terrified doppelganger broke into a smirk.

"Who says we need rescuing?"

"How?…White oak…" a pained Klaus spat in confusion.

"A lady never tells," the other doppelganger cut him off. She gave a quick nod to her counterpart, who sped off into the opposite side of the woods to retrieve her weapon.

"Did I mention we found a way to kill you?" the wounded girl asked, her brows furrowed together in thought as the Original hunched over in pain. "Because we did," she continued vehemently. "So say goodbye to your hybrids and your Original perks. Because we are about to _end_ you." She vowed.

"Help me," Klaus muttered, seemingly unaffected by the girl's promise. His eyes were cast up to the brunette before him, causing a feeling of alarm in the girl as this action, combined with a shadow appearing on the ground before her, sent a chill down her spine as she realized there was someone behind her.

The chill didn't last long, however, as a very angry Original sister threw her across the clearing, her fangs bared as she hovered over the girl.

"It's a dream come true. I finally get to kill you."

* * *

><p>Again, so sorry for the wait, you guys! Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long, because there's only 1 or 2 left! :) And if you're confused, you're supposed to be ;)<p>

**Please review! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm SO SORRY for the late update (I feel like I begin with that a lot). I literally started this chapter the day I uploaded the last one. I just wanted to make sure I got everything perfect for you guys, and then school decided to like, assassinate me. So yeah. BUT- this is my last chapter! So that means I'm done and you don't have to sigh and wait for me anymore. That's good, right?  
><strong>

**Big thanks to my friends Cher and Kristi who helped me get my thoughts organized for this chapter! You probably know them as Cher Sue and tukct81 here on . And if you don't, you should, because they're FLAWLESS!  
><strong>

**Anyway. For the last time, here's The Power of Two.  
><strong>

**Chapter 10**

Rebekah's eyes were filled with tears of rage as she hovered over the doppelganger beneath her.

"What have you done?!" she shouted down at her, quickly throwing a glance back at her brother, who was screaming in agony from the white oak. "You bitch!"

"It won't kill him!" the injured doppelganger told the blonde atop her, trying to escape.

"I know that," Rebekah snapped.

"Good," the brunette smiled, kicking her off. "Then you can get the fuck off of me."

"You're not human anymore. Klaus can't use you for his hybrids, which means I'm free to kill you however I see fit," Rebekah sneered, her eyes narrowed as she looked the doppelganger up and down. Uncertainty flitted across her face. "You are Elena, aren't you?"

"Maybe I am," the girl shrugged, arms out helplessly. In a flash she had kicked the Original sister across the clearing, being sure to not lead her near trees. A true Petrova smirk danced on her lips while ruthlessness shone in her eyes. "Maybe I'm not."

The two girls were distracted by a shouted, strangled plea of help from Klaus; their heads whipped in his direction only to see the other doppelganger drive a stake through his chest. The brunette twisted it as it plunged deeper into his heart, her lips moving as if she was talking to him.

A synchronous cry of agony was let out by the brother and sister as the hybrid fell to the ground and burst into flames. The blonde snapped the neck of the injured doppelganger, not even bothering to watch as she crumpled to the floor as she blurred to the fire across the way.

The doppelganger nearest to the fallen Original looked down in awe for a second too long, as Rebekah had thrown her against a tree, tears streaming down her face.

"What the fuck did you just do?! How did you kill him- he can't die!" she sobbed angrily, her fangs bared in her emotional state.

"Loopholes," the brunette replied simply, kicking the blonde back. She tried to take off, only to be grabbed by the wrist by the female Original. She twisted around to face her, only to feel a sharp pain in her chest. She began gasping for air as she realized what was happening.

Desperately, the brunette tried to pull the tree branch out of her heart, but soon found it to be hopeless. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she looked around, hoping that a Salvatore would come running out of the bushes to her rescue, as Salvatores are wont to do. Surely Bonnie's shock as the scene in the clearing would have caused an interference with the spell, giving Damon and Stefan the perfect time to intervene. Tears rolled down her cheeks and sobs wracked her body, her hopes fading as she slowly felt herself falling to the ground beneath her, her body becoming more rigid by the second. She tried to maintain a bit of grace as she gently put her head to the ground, dirt mixing with tears to muddy her straight hair. Her final few cries resonated in anguish as she thought of her parents, who had gone through this torture of dying because of her; as she cried for her love cut short before it had really begun, and all she'd never experience; and as she realized that this is was it; this was dying.

A stunned Bonnie felt her heart crumple at the scene before her. She had just seen her best friend murdered. Possibly. It was all very confusing, and she felt numb as she let her spell fade. She remained where she was as her brown eyes watched Rebekah yank the limb from the deceased doppelganger and start towards the other one, who was still unconscious in a heap on the ground.

Before Damon and Stefan could regain their bearings and see what she prevented them from stopping, Bonnie found herself sprinting across the field, a white oak stake grasped tightly in her hand, turning her knuckles white. She knew it was up to her to save the other doppelganger. The doppelgangers were the only vampires able to use the white oak stakes without dying themselves- if the Salvatores tried, the white oak would kill them.

As she neared the blonde, she used the same spell she had just used on Stefan and Damon, knowing it would be greatly ineffective, but enough to distract the Original from staking the brunette. Sure enough, Rebekah's attention turned towards the witch, her eyes quickly finding the stake held in her right hand and smirking.

"You poor, pathetic, thing," she gasped through her tears. "Do you really think you can kill me on your own?" In the next movement, Rebekah was lifting her up by her throat, eyes glistening with the desire to avenge her fallen brother. Before Bonnie could get the chance to respond, she was knocked forwards on top of the blonde vampire.

"Bonnie, stake her!" she heard before regaining her composure. She lifted her head and saw Damon and Stefan holding the Original Sister down as she tried to fight them, both of their faces emotionless.

"If it's going to take you so long, I'll do it myself!" Damon snarled, reaching for the white oak stake in Bonnie's hand, only to grasp air as she moved it away.

"No. It has to be me, you two will die if you do it!" Bonnie told them.

"Then do it!" Stefan barked uncharacteristically.

A shaken Bonnie raised the stake before plunging it into the chest of the blonde vampire below her. Stefan tugged her arm and was able to get her off of the vampire before she burst into flames. The two sat there in shock, staring at the flames that danced before their eyes, Stefan's gaze finding his way towards where his brother stood, stoically, by the body of the fallen doppelganger. He got up from his spot next to the Bennett Witch and joined his brother, clasping his shoulder.

"Do you know-?" the elder Salvatore managed to ask.

Damon let out a shuddering breath as he shook his head, arms crossed and his fists clenched tightly. He looked down at the emaciated figure that could be Elena, and he felt his body go numb at the thought of her actually being gone. His eyes began to burn as he tried to stop the tears, but he was unable to. He fell to the ground beside her, head in his hands.

"I told her not to do this, Stefan!" he shouted as his brother kneeled beside him, tears silently falling down his face as well. His voice took on a softer, chanting tone. "You can't be dead. You can't be dead."

Stefan felt his heart fall for his brother and for himself. There was still a chance for Damon, there was a stirring doppelganger across the way that could be Elena. For Stefan…he lost either way. He had either just lost the girl he loved who loved his brother, or the girl who loved him, whom he was imagining spending eternity with.

"Guys! She's waking up!" Bonnie shouted from the post she had taken, next to the injured doppelganger. In a flash, Damon had his hand around Bonnie's throat.

He had her up in the air, her feet kicking around wildly as she searched for solid ground. Her brown eyes were wide with fear as she saw the hurt and unadulterated anger in his blue ones. Damon had left his numbness by the fallen girl; now all that he felt was rage. He had promised himself he would kill the witch if anything happened to Elena, and he was about to make good on that promise.

"Damon, stop!" his brother yelled as he knocked him down, Bonnie landing on the ground in a heap.

"Why, Stefan? Elena's dead because of _her_. If we could've gotten into the clearing fast enough, we could have saved her, but we couldn't. Because of _her_. _Elena is dead because of her_!" he shouted at his brother, a knife twisting deeper and deeper into his heart each time he said it.

"We don't know that!" Stefan shouted back, trying to talk some sense into his brother. It always amazed him how though he was the younger brother, he often had to step into the role of the eldest when it came to stressful situations like these. "We don't know that," he repeated calmly. The doppelganger's eyes shot open.

"Elena?" Bonnie choked out as she regained access to her lungs.

"Katherine?"

"Elena?"

As she gained consciousness of her surroundings, the doppelganger shot up, looking around wildly.

"Where's Rebekah?"

"She's dead, Bonnie staked her," the younger Salvatore informed her, his eyes searching for a clue as to which brunette was before him.

Damon's mind was a mess. Half of him wanted to flip the switch and kill Bonnie right here, right now. The other part of him was torn between daring to hope that Elena was alive before him and taking off his daylight ring as fast as he could. Those brown eyes looked up into his under that veil of lashes, and the part that dared to hope took over completely. Unfolding his arms, he kneeled down beside her, taking a place between his brother and Bonnie, the latter whom he was still fighting the urge to rip apart limb by limb.

"Bonnie? Why didn't Katherine do it?" she asked, looking around, trying to shake the pain of having her neck snapped.

All three of her companions inhaled sharply at her unknowing revelation.

Damon captured her in his arms in a flash, his face burying in her tangled hair as he dared to let tears escape from his cool blue eyes. He cradled her head with his hand while his other arm wrapped protectively around her waist.

"I thought I lost you," he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut, willing the tears to stop. She was alive. _She was alive. She was alive. She was alive._

Elena was confused by this confession until her eyes landed on her emaciated body across the clearing. She let out a sob. They had beat Klaus, but they had still lost. Elena wasn't even fond of her counterpart, but she couldn't imagine dying after getting what she craved for so long. Katherine had finally gotten freedom for a whole minute, maybe, before it was taken away from her once more.

"We had it planned out perfectly," she choked, looking up at Bonnie and Stefan, as if imploring them to explain how everything went so wrong.

"Sometimes things don't always turn out the way you plan," Stefan spoke softly. She noticed that he didn't meet her eyes. He was looking at the ground, and she could tell he was wrestling with some kind of inner turmoil. Elena's eyes turned to Bonnie, who was regarding her skeptically.

"How do we know you're really Elena?" she asked.

Damon and Stefan's heads both snapped up to look at the brunette. Damon pulled back from his long embrace, brushing some of her brown hair out of her wide, fearful eyes.

"Bonnie, I've known you since we were two," she pleaded, looking up at the witch. "I promise I'm me!"

"You and Katherine were able to switch back and forth _seamlessly_," the Bennett witch replied. "I just don't want to get my hopes up that it's you, just to find out it's not."

Elena looked around at the pained faces around her, trying to figure out what she could do to convince them it was truly her. Bonnie's saddened expression, Damon's earnest brow furrow, and Stefan's unplaceable stare at the ground. Her eyes pulled back to Damon and she remembered.

"You love me," she stated, looking at him. Bonnie and Stefan remained silent as Damon's heart began to pound as he realized that this woman in his arms _was_ in fact, Elena. He pulled her in for a fevered kiss, earning a shout of objection from Bonnie.

"Don't give in to your emotions, Damon! She could just be telling you what you want to hear. It's not like that was some big secret."

"You watch your back, Bennett," Damon threatened her. "Elena may be alive, but I still have a mind to snap you in half for that witchy stunt you pulled back there."

"Damon…" Stefan warned his brother.

"No one's snapping anyone in half," Elena declared. She turned to the two onlookers. "Damon told me he loved me several months ago and compelled me to forget it. He told me about it earlier this week," she explained. She looked down as she thought of the fallen doppelganger, "So he'd know if Katherine was pretending to be me or not."

"So you're really Elena?" Stefan asked cautiously. Curiously, she could see sadness reflected in his eyes.

"I'm really Elena. When Bonnie and I were freshmen she threw up in Mrs. Lockwood's "delicates" drawer at a party. And ran."

"She's Elena!" Bonnie shouted quickly, both in excitement and to drown out anything else Elena felt like sharing. She ran forward to embrace her friend, getting daggers glared at her by the raven haired vampire who held the doppelganger safely in his arms.

Stefan weakly smiled as he hugged the brunette before stepping back to let his brother shower her with alternating affections and reprimands. His eyes dared to look across the clearing to where Katherine lay rigid. Even in death, the younger Salvatore found, she was beautiful. He knelt down to caress her face, and as he did so, he sensed someone behind him.

"I'm sorry, Stefan," Bonnie whispered to the forlorn brother. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I want to give her a proper grave. A final resting place. She ran so much…"

The witch nodded silently, putting a comforting arm around Stefan.

A few yards away in the clearing, Damon and Elena sat, wrapped in each other's arms, the events of the day crashing into them.

"We weren't expecting her, Damon. We didn't plan for it," Elena repeated.

"If you hadn't had Bennett use her magic on us we could have _helped_," Damon told her, trying not to be too angry with the shaken doppelganger.

"But you would have done something stupid! You could have died!"

"Let's not talk about doing stupid things, Elena. _You _almost died! And Katherine…when I thought that you…" Damon's anger quickly dissolved as he felt his stomach give out once more. That hopelessness…

"Hey. I'm here," Elena said softly, guiding his eyes to hers. "I'm right here."

Damon closed the gap between them, his lips gently pressing on hers as she closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears of exhaustion and fear from finally flowing free. She kissed back with urgency, needing to make sure that he was here and that she was here and that they were alive and together, never having to worry about Klaus ever again.

Five figures sat in the clearing behind the Salvatore boarding house as they stared at the casket next to a pile of freshly dug earth. It had been a short service. There hadn't been an abundance of nice things to say, though everyone was able to think of at least one.

Damon and Elena had quickly put together the pieces the day before in the clearing, causing Elena's floodgates to finally break as she cried for all of the day's events along with her guilt over Katherine's death. When the younger Salvatore had told them his idea for a burial, they couldn't say no.

Caroline, Damon, Elena, Bonnie, and finally, Stefan had one at a time gone up and said something nice about Katherine. Stefan himself knew that this was a stretch, and was pleasantly surprised when everyone was able to pull through.

Caroline thanked Katherine for turning her into a vampire, which, after the first few weeks, she considered a major improvement on who she was as a person. Damon credited her for leading him to Elena. Bonnie thanked her for coming forward with a way to kill Klaus, ensuring her friends no more harm.

Elena took more time in her goodbye. She thanked Katherine for Damon, for Stefan, and for what she had taught her in the week of training before apologizing for her death, several times, and wishing she could change it somehow. She told the deceased doppelganger how she had spent the last year or so trying to set herself apart from her, and only just realized that they were two sides to the same coin. Orphaned at the brink of adulthood, marked by an ancient curse, doomed to love the same pair of brothers. It was how they each handled the situations in their lives that differed, and Elena apologized for the roughness that had been Katherine's life, though it had been no fault of Elena's. She wished her happiness on the other side and took her place by Damon, content with what she had said.

Stefan took his place next to the coffin and looked at his closest friends, beginning to have second thoughts about what he was about to tell them.

"First of all, I'd like to thank Katherine for giving me the opportunity to spend an eternity with my brother," Stefan started, looking down. "I'd also like to thank her for opening my eyes to what this world has to offer." He took a breath before looking up. "Which is why I'm leaving."

There was a beat of silence from his companions before he heard his brother.

"What?"

"Katherine and I were supposed to travel the world after Klaus was killed," Stefan told them, his heart offering a hollow thump as he thought of Katherine. "I feel like I owe her that. Plus, I think it'd be good for me to get away from Mystic Falls for a while. These last few months have put a strain on every aspect of my life, and I just feel like now's the time to travel; to let things settle before I come back."

The four beings before him stared, dumbfounded.

"I'll keep in touch," he offered, shrugging a bit at their silence. When no one said anything, he turned to Katherine's coffin, placing a hand on its smoothed wood. "I'm so sorry, Katherine," he whispered. "But I'm going for both of us." And with that, he took a seat next to his brother as Bonnie stood up and lowered the casket into the ground.

After the dirt was pushed on top of the casket, Stefan walked over to the mound, placing a rose by the headstone.

_KATERINA PETROVA  
>KATHERINE PIERCE<em>

_May the soul that wanders find peace at last._

A hand clasped on his shoulder, causing him to start.

"You're really leaving, brother?" Damon asked, his eyes concerned.

"I just need some time," he explained. "So much has happened since the whole Klaus thing started, and I really just need to get away from it all; give you and Elena some space."

"Elena and I are fine with you here," Damon told him, hesitant for his baby brother to leave so soon after a major shakeup in their lives. The younger Salvatore smiled.

"I'll keep in touch, Damon," he reassured. "I'll let you and Elena have the boardinghouse to yourselves during your honeymoon phase. I'll be back before you know it. I'd like to travel _one time_ where I'm not compelled by myself or others to rip people apart. It puts a damper on the sightseeing," Stefan quipped.

"If you need anything, call us," Elena insisted, appearing beside the brothers as she wrapped her ex-boyfriend into a hug.

"You can't hog him, you guys. He's leaving and we want to say goodbye too!" Caroline exclaimed, dragging Stefan towards where she and Bonnie were standing. Elena laughed and looked up at the Salvatore next to her, who was still staring at his brother, his blue eyes swimming with worry.

"Hey," she called to him, trying to snap him out of his reverie. He looked down at her, smiling softly as she reassured him that Stefan would be okay. "It's not the first time you've been separated," she pointed out. "And it won't be the last. You're on much better terms this time, too!"

"And I have you here all to myself in the meantime," he growled, wrapping an arm around her waist and bringing her flat against him. "And what good timing too. It seems like I just lost my roommate."

Elena laughed before being silenced with a kiss. Damon pulled back and looked down upon her.

"Just to be clear, you're never following through with any of your plans ever again."

"We'll see about that," she grinned, pulling him down for another kiss, happy that his temperament was back to his usual self, his worry for his brother forgotten for now. Damon chuckled against her lips.

"I love you," he muttered against her mouth as he smiled. She laced her arms around his neck and her lips formed a smile to match his.

"I love you, too, Damon."

* * *

><p>Fun fact: This battlethe death was the first idea for this story.

Well, there you go! I really hope you enjoyed it! Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought. If you've never reviewed before, review and tell me what you think! I actually was going to post Katherine's last words, but I think they'd be a nice incentive for reviewing, wouldn't you? ;)

I just want to thank everyone who's stuck with this until the end, whether they started here and went back to read Shared Reparation or if they started from the very first chapter of SR. Writing a sequel isn't easy and I'd like to apologize for all of the breaks this story had between chapters. I love every last one of you and I hope to be back with other stories in the future.

Well...You know what to do!


End file.
